Non electric heaters

[Flirbies]

Hello! I am new to the forum and have a few questions. There were a few topics about electric space heaters and I've done some research myself, but I can't find anything about safe non electric heaters. I know kerosene and propane heaters can emit harmful gasses and most sites say to never use them, and I'm trying to prepare for a power outage in the colder months, but I don't know what heater to buy. Our house isn't the best insulated and if the power were to go out it would get too cold for our birds, so some form of alternative heat is important.

We have a gas stove which we use frequently and it's near enough to the cages that it might provide some heat, but is it safe to leave it on? The stoves about 30ft away from their cages which are in the living room, and us cooking for 6 years hasn't affected them so I know shorter durations are fine, but how long can you safely use it as a heat source? Also if we were to get a kerosene or propane heater, is there a minimum safe distance to leave the heater where the gasses couldn't get to them? We also have a wood burning fireplace which is about 7ft away, which we have used before but again how long is it safe to leave burning? And lastly, is there another type of non electric heating which we haven't heard of yet?

Thanks so much for any info, we love our birds and are trying to make sure our home is completely bird safe!

[Wolf]

Actually you can't safely use a gas cook stove as a heater at all. Sa far as the wood heat goes as long as there is no smoke coming back into the room that it is in there should not be a problem with using it. If there is any smoke coming back into the room so are the unburnt gasses from the burning wood and that would be unsafe. Most non electric heat sources would need to be vented to the outside and draw properly same as a wood stove or fireplace needs to be or they are not safe. The next best option would be to have a generator large enough to run your current heat source and a light or two.

[Pajarita]

Yes, the best option is a generator but a vented (to the outside) propane heater is pretty safe, too. Fireplaces are not really good and not just because of the smoke and the fumes (wood, pellets, coal all release fumes when burning but the worst are the artificial logs) but because they suck up a lot of oxygen and, although people can do fine with less oxygen in the air, birds can't so it's not something I would consider safe on a regular basis. Of course that, in a super emergency, any source of heat will do because birds can live longer without good air than with extreme cold.